Local Beer + Sausage = Success

I have a great new recipe to share this evening! Last night Nolan got to work on tonight’s dinner.

Ingredients:

1 pack Hot Italian sausages (about 6)

1 12 oz. beer

Worcestershire sauce

BBQ sauce

Hot sauce

(Now I apologize for the lack of measurement in these recipes. Nolan doesn’t believe in measuring ingredients. He just throws it all together until it “looks right.'” But It always tastes great so I’m not complaining! )

Steps:

1. In a skillet, he seared the sausages for about 3 minutes so the casing would tighten up and they would be easier to cut into pieces without falling apart. (Pro move suggested by myself)

2. He then chopped the sausages up into about 1 inch thick pieces.

3. He threw them into the crock pot with the remaining ingredients to sit over night and soak.

4. Cook on low for 6 hours.

In the past we have made other sausage recipes with beer and had great results. For tonight’s recipe we chose to use a beer we recently bought at a local brewery here in Framingham called Jack’s Abby Brewing.

The Hendler brothers opened this brewery in January 2011. Currently they have 3 beers on tap at all time, and two rotating seasonal brews. In the past we have tried Red Tape Lager, Smoke & Dagger, and the Cascadian Schwarzbier. (See their website for a full descriptions of these brews.)

Tonight we used one of their current seasonal beers Maibock Hurts Like Helles,.

Maibock Hurts Like Helles
True Story! Running a brewery can be “bock” breaking. It’s all worthwhile when you have the opportunity to share beer like this. Our Maibock/Helles Bock is deep golden in color with an intense malty almost grape like aroma and flavor. A light noble hop character balances the smooth sweet finish. A long lagering time makes this beer exceptionally drinkable for its strength. Don’t be fooled by its light color.OG 16.2 Plato / IBU’s 25 / ABV 6.5%

This beer was a perfect match for our spicy sausage. It is certainly rich, but it really complemented the meat without overpowering the overall taste. By allowing this to sit overnight, the meat absorbed so many of the sweet and malty flavors of the Maibock and was so delicious and tender! Plus, the whole apartment smelled amazing when I got home.

There was still a lot of liquid in the pot so I added about a cup and a half of dry rice. The rice soaked up all the flavors and remaining liquid and really brought the whole meal together. Nolan ate it as is, but I added some stir fry veggies!

This is definitely going in our cookbook!

Side note: I am VERY excited about the Brewery’s upcoming brews!

6/7: Barrel Aged Smoke & Dagger with Chipotle Peppers

6/7: Barrel Aged Smoke & Dagger with Peanuts

Question:

Have you ever cooked with beer or wine? What did you think?

Savor this:

That looks so good! I have cooked with beer only for beer can chicken, and I have made some chicken dishes with wine. I love how you don’t have exact measurements. That’s real cooking. I remember learning how to cook a pot of Sunday gravy and my mom telling me just to watch!

Definitely! They have tasting and tours Thursdays & Fridays: 3 – 7 PM and Saturdays: 12 – 5 PM. While you are in the area you should also check out John Harvard’s in Framingham. It’s a restaurant that brews beer on site. They have a fantastic selection and it’s always changing. You can find my review on my site 🙂

I'm Katy, a 28 yr old food lover living in the Boston area. My kitchen is my happy place and where I relieve my stress. I am always looking for new recipes to try, and restaurants to discover. I try to savor every flavor life has to offer. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bring it on!